I've Already Told You
by Rhianwen
Summary: Sort of a sequel to 'Akin to Love.' After travelling with him for a few years, Lucca muses over exactly what she means to Magus. Finally, she asks him. Very fluffy. :o) Re-edited for name fixies and a grammatical error.


I've Already Told You...  
  
Sequel of 'Akin to Love'  
  
By Rhianwen  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: Still don't own them, they're still plotting my demise. Yaay! Squaresoft owns Lucca, Magus, and all the other characters, aside from the mention made of Deirdrie. Were I to expand her as a character, she would belong to me. Oh, and the title was taken from Andrew Lloyd's musical, 'Aspects of Love.'  
  
  
  
Summary: After they've been travelling together for a few years, Lucca muses over exactly what she is to Magus. And then she asks him. Very fluffy, and the pairing should be obvious. [Grin]  
  
Notes: Well, as the summary says, this is a continuation of 'Akin to Love.' It just...didn't seem finished to me. That, and I had this adorable scene in my mind that didn't really fit in with anything else I was writing, and it fit quite well with this one. Two hours later, 'Akin to Love' had a sequel that I'd never planned on.  
  
  
  
And now, ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon with the show!  
  
  
  
The reflection of the setting sun danced over the calm, clear waters of the sea in a myriad of golds, oranges, and pinks. Gentle waves lapped against the jagged rocks rising from the ocean, with a soft, repeated splash. Lucca breathed deeply, letting the combined scents of salt-water, mineral, sand, and the typical smell of evening, wash over her. Really, when a person spent so much time looking at the world from a scientific point of view, it became far too easy to miss the pure grandeur that existed everywhere in nature.  
  
She smiled softly. Although she knew that, over the past two years, travelling with Magus, she had changed greatly, some things never would. She was, he often said, beneath the surface, still an artless, mannerless little chit, too smart for her own good, and stubborn as a mule into the bargain. And her fascination with science had not dwindled at all. Of course, being on the road so much, it was near impossible for her to put together, take apart, and reassemble the mechanical 'gadgets' that her heart delighted in, save when they returned to their small home buried deeply in the wooded area surrounding Medina. It simply took up the new form of studying from books, soil and rock samples, and other forms of natural sciences.  
  
For it had become an unspoken agreement that she would live with him during the brief times that they were not travelling. As such, he had opted to have a house built in 1000 A.D. rather than returning to 600 A.D., or even to 12000 B.C. To be sure, when she had asked curiously why he was not returning to the era in which he had been born, he had given an snort, fixed her with a incredulous gaze to see if she was, indeed, actually serious, and had explained that the thought of the constant blizzards of the time was not an appealing one.  
  
And so, they lived quite happily in their little cottage, completely isolated from any other form of human life for the most part. Just the way both liked it. Indeed, aside from trips into the town for supplies, they didn't trouble themselves much at all with other people.  
  
Aside from infrequent visits to their friends. Most often, the idea for this would be Lucca's, and would be after they had been at home for some time, and both were beginning to feel a little restless. And so, off they would go, usually to Guardia Castle first, by the new ferry recently built between Medina and Truce, to see Crono and Marle. The visits wouldn't often be very long, as Crono and Marle were predictably busy with the running of the kingdom and the raising of their infant daughter, Deirdrie, a little girl with a shock of red hair and brilliant green eyes, who already promised to be every bit the free spirit that her mother was.  
  
Upon leaving, they would, using the time-travel spell that Magus had long since perfected, as the Epoch had been disassembled shortly after the defeat of Lavos, visit Ayla, Frog, and Robo, and then knock about wherever they happened to end up, exploring new places and re-exploring known ones - for all the world, like a pair of children, Lara Ashtear often commented with a despairing shake of her head, softened by a fond smile.  
  
It had been no small shock to their friends, who knew nothing of the...extra time they had spent together, when they had announced their intention of remaining together rather than going their separate ways.  
  
Crono had been bewildered, confusedly offering his congratulations.  
  
Marle had, once over her surprise, been delighted, claiming quite untruthfully that she 'had always known that there was something going on.'  
  
Frog had been quite as bewildered as Crono, and concerned for his friend into the bargain, telling Lucca, as he peered suspiciously at Magus, that she should feel free to come to him should she experience any need for protection.  
  
Robo had simply commented that their decision was utterly unexpected, before offering his congratulations.  
  
Ayla had nodded sagely, announcing in different words that it had long seemed to her that Magus needed a woman to keep him in line, and that she thought Lucca would handle the task very well. How they all, barring Magus, who seemed rather annoyed, and Lucca, who had turned a deep shade of red, had laughed at that!  
  
But, by and by, all of them had come to see that the feelings between the two were genuine, and now it seemed as though they had always been together.  
  
Taban and Lara Ashtear had been no less astonished to hear their daughter announce quite calmly that she was going to move out and travel the world with the tall, blue-haired young man, who had introduced himself to them as her husband, Janus. Once over this astonishment, Lara had reacted as might have been expected: with sorrow over losing her 'little girl,' combined with satisfaction that her quiet, isolated daughter had found a place in the world, and someone to share her life with. Taban hadn't said much, had simply nodded, flashed both a congratulatory grin, and had betaken himself back to his workshop. The man had always been like that, though; quite inept at letting his true emotions show. After all, his daughter had to get it from somewhere. Lucca had left with the firm resolve to come back soon to have a good talk with 'dad.'  
  
  
  
As she giggled over the memory of her mother's scandalized expression to find that the two had already been married, that there would be no opportunity to put on a large wedding, it occurred to her, not for the first time, that they never actually HAD been married. They had planned originally to pretend for the sake of visiting Lucca's parents (who certainly would have gone mad had they found out that their unwed daughter was travelling, unescorted, with an unwed young man), and to take care of the little matter of actually getting married at a later date, simply slipping off to a justice of the peace to get it done quickly and quietly. It had never actually happened, though, and Lucca often wondered uncomfortably why; was it so that he could make an easy escape when he tired of her? Although something at the back of her mind scoffed at this thought, coolly informing her that he wasn't the type of man who would have kept her around so long if he intended to simply cast her off, it did seem somewhat funny that they hadn't been married.  
  
She shivered in the cool evening air, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her chin on her knees. Despite her greatest efforts, a series of questions that she recognized from the last time she had agonized over them rose up in her mind to torment her, gradually culminating into one question:  
  
Did he really care for her?  
  
Or was she simply a convenient means to acquire a warm bed, with the added perk of a travelling partner with some degree of intelligence?  
  
Sometimes she was uncomfortably sure that it was the second. And really, the sensible half of her mind asked sternly, what was wrong with that? Shouldn't it be enough? She had a place to live, she was...erm, well- bedded, and they enjoyed one another's company. So, why put it all at risk by worrying about love, that could only cause confusion in the end?  
  
Because, the romantic side of her brain sighed wistfully, friendship wasn't enough anymore. Not when she had incautiously fallen so deeply in love with him.  
  
She would, she decided firmly. She would ask him. Tonight.  
  
Her mind irrevocably made up on this point, she watched a lone seagull, swooping lazily through the sky, until a voice behind her brought her out of her reverie.  
  
"How long have you been out here? It's getting cool."  
  
She turned and greeted him with a smile as he took a seat next to her on the rough, sandy rock. He gazed down at her, one eyebrow raised.  
  
"You're going to get sick, you know. You don't have anything on your arms."  
  
"Yeah, but I've got something on my legs, and I don't usually, so it should all balance out, right?" she inquired with a grin, gesturing to the black pants that accompanied her light, sleeveless tunic.  
  
He shook his head, returning the grin with a small smile.  
  
"Whatever you say. Just don't complain to me when you catch a cold, alright?"  
  
"I'm sure you'd find some way to make me feel better," she returned, stealing a nearly shy sideways glance at him. He chuckled, wrapping an arm around her, pulling her over to sit in front of him, and then wrapping his other arm around her as well.  
  
"Perhaps."  
  
They sat thus in silence for a time. Then, determined not to put it off, Lucca spoke slowly, hesitantly, certain that he must feel her heart thudding against his arm where it rested against her.  
  
"I want to ask you something."  
  
"What is it?" His tone registered confusion.  
  
She shook her head, not turning to look at him.  
  
"First, you've got to promise that you'll say 'yes.'"  
  
"As long as you aren't going to ask me to perform a strip-tease for you and your girlfriends at your next birthday party, I think I can assure you of a 'yes,'" he replied with an amused chuckle, absently tracing random patters along her cheek and down her neck.  
  
She took a deep breath. How odd, this sensation of dizziness while sitting, leaning back against him...  
  
"Do...do you love me?"  
  
There. No going back. For better or worse, she had asked it.  
  
Amid the heavy silence that followed, broken only by the mournful cry of a gull swooping down over the water, and the continuous lapping of the waves, constant through everything, Lucca was rather inclined to think that it had been for the worse. He had gone completely still behind her, his finger ceasing their light caress. A flush of embarrassment combining oddly with a blanch of devastation at the knowledge that their easy camaraderie could never be the same again, that this hidden tension must ever after exist between them, she pulled away. Perhaps he would choose to send her away immediately...  
  
"Well. Alright. Okay. Just...just wanted to ask..."  
  
His arms tightened around her, turning her slightly. Then, placing a finger beneath her chin, he tilted her head back until she met his eyes.  
  
"I've already answered 'yes,' haven't I, poindexter?"  
  
The less than strictly flattering nick-name was almost a teasing caress, and she stared at him incredulously. There was an unaccustomed warmth in his blood-red eyes that told her that it was true, that he hadn't answered 'yes' simply because he felt bound to it, and she flung her arms around him with a noise that was half-laugh and half-sob.  
  
"Argh! Stop that!" he rebuked as both of them fell back onto the rock. He held up his own arms for protection against possible inadvertent blows to the face. "If I'd known you were going to try to maul me, I'd have said no."  
  
Sensing that embarrassment had prompted them, she paid no mind to his brusque words, and snuggled contentedly against his shoulder, arms snaking around his waist. For a time, they lay together in silence, quite comfortable despite the uncomfortable surface upon which they were sprawled.  
  
"Did you doubt it?" he asked suddenly, stroking her hair.  
  
"Well...you've never said you did," she reminded him.  
  
"I suppose not," he agreed, frowning. Then, after a moment, he continued. "I have a question for you now."  
  
"Okay..." she replied, raising her head and smiling at him uncertainly.  
  
"If I ask you, will you promise to say yes?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Will you..." He stopped.  
  
"Will I what?"  
  
"Will you...perform a strip-tease at my next birthday party? Ouch!" he intoned mournfully as the sound of fist against shoulder, commingled with her astonished exclamation, melted into the background noise of the surf.  
  
"For you and all your friends?! I don't think so!"  
  
"But you've already answered yes. And besides which," he continued, sitting up and pulling her down to straddle his hips, eliciting a gasp from her at the sudden delicious friction, "I don't like to share. I had in mind more of a private show."  
  
"Well, in that case," she replied, laughing helplessly and wrapping her arms around his neck, "why wait?"  
  
He smirked.  
  
"We should at least go back to the inn first, don't you agree?"  
  
"Well, yeah, of course - I'm not some sort of exhibitionist!" she exclaimed, blushing rosily, much to his secret delight.  
  
"Of course not," he agreed, lightly kissing the flesh behind her ear. "Which is why I'm not insisting upon a public strip-tease. I'd have to kill every man there. You're for my eyes alone."  
  
"And killing them would be kind of rude, after inviting them to a party," she snickered, climbing off of him and extending a hand to help him up. He grasped it and climbed to his feet, and together they started back off to the small seaside town's inn.  
  
"Oh, by the way," he began casually, "we should really get around to being married one of these days, don't you agree?"  
  
  
  
  
  
End Notes: [Sweatdrop] And that's what happens when I'm playing Chrono Trigger, listening to musicals, with my subconscious set to work on a nice, sappy scene between Lucca and Magus that wouldn't be glaringly OOC, and out of nowhere, my Playstation, my stereo, my TV and I all get struck by lightning. Anyway, I hope you liked it...even though it was still glaringly OOC. Whoo! OOC!  
  
[Does the happy little OOC dance.]  
  
Eh, I explain it with the fact that no one stays exactly the same forever - life would be really freaking boring if they did. Of course Magus is gonna change a bit. It's just not realistic to assume that, over three years, he wouldn't have changed AT ALL. Quite ridiculous, really. Sure, he wouldn't have undergone a total personality overhaul, and I don't think I've done that here. I certainly don't think I've made him inordinately playful. Or particularly sweet or romantic.  
  
I mean...I...I...WAH! I SUCK!!!  
  
[Assumes the cute little anime sitting pose, mouth turning into a gigantic red oval, hydro-pump tear jets shooting out to the sides, then bounces back up and smiles self-consciously]  
  
Ahem. Sorry. Well, bye!  
  
[Smiles and waves, then points to her T-Shirt which proudly displays the words, 'Please Review Often and Generously']  
  
Oh, heck, you don't have to be generous. Be mean, if you like. Really mean.  
  
Of course, if you liked it and want to say so, I have no problem with that, either. :o) 


End file.
